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Sen. Udall finds himself at odds with White House over CIA tactics

By Lynn BartelsThe Denver Post

Posted:
03/05/2014 06:10:08 PM MST

Updated:
03/06/2014 10:11:46 AM MST

U.S. Sen. Mark Udall. (Andy Cross, Denver Post file photo)

U.S. Sen. Mark Udall finds himself on a collision course with the White House over the CIA's post-9/11 interrogation techniques and his belief that the agency is trying to use "intimidation to subvert congressional oversight."

Udall sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which after an investigation into the Bush administration's interrogation and detention program concluded that the CIA and the intelligence community misled Congress and the public. The CIA rebuts the conclusion.

"As you are aware, the CIA has recently taken unprecedented action against the Committee ..., " Udall wrote to the president.

Udall told The Denver Post Wednesday that he can't elaborate.

Various news agencies reported the CIA is now investigating whether its officers improperly monitored committee staffers and possibly their computers after Udall publicly revealed in December the existence of an internal CIA report that contradicted public comments about the program. The CIA questioned how the committee got the report.

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"I'm deeply concerned that the CIA is trying to subvert congressional oversight through intimidation," Udall told The Post. "My job is to fight like hell to make sure the CIA never dodges congressional oversight again and that the White House publicly commits to declassify as much of the intelligence's committee report as possible."

He conceded that might not make him popular with the president, but Udall said his oversight role is "sacred, regardless of who is in the White House."

Udall blasted the CIA program, saying there were "horrible abuses."

"In the end, the torture, the so-called enhanced interrogation techniques, didn't work. They did not generate uniquely valuable intelligence," he said. "Our reputation was stained around the world. We had the wrong kind of double whammy."

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